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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25047697">Drove Me Wild</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/xqueerhq/pseuds/xqueerhq'>xqueerhq</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Avatar: Legend of Korra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asami is an awkward bean, F/F, Fluff, I made kuvira non-binary, Korrasami - Freeform, Non-bending AU, SO MUCH FLUFF, also awkwardness, and Korra loves it, just because i can</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 10:27:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,757</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25047697</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/xqueerhq/pseuds/xqueerhq</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a rent mishap, socially awkward Asami is forced to get a job at a coffee shop. <br/>Korra is a regular at said coffee shop and likes to poke fun at the new girl.<br/>CUE FLUFF. </p><p>SO. MUCH. FLUFF.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Korra/Asami Sato, Kuvira/Opal (Avatar)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>221</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. 'Cause You're On My Mind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is pretty much just going to be a story with no hefty plot line and just a lot of awkwardness and fluff.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Asami sat at her desk, brow furrowing as she tried to scribble down the latest poem that had just popped in her head. It was something that she enjoyed doing for herself and not so much for anyone else.<br/>
<br/>
Her roommate Opal comes bounding into the room, smile plastered on her face.<br/>
<br/>
“What’s up, Opal?” Asami asks as she pushes her glasses back up her nose, focusing on the paper in front of her.<br/>
<br/>
Opal smirks, “Well… it’s almost your birthday and I figured now would be a good time to show you what I got you!”<br/>
<br/>
Asami looks out of the corner of her eye at her roommate who is holding a book-shaped present out at her. She chuckles lightly and grabs it, unwrapping it to see a book of poetry. Her eyebrow arches as she looks at the author’s name which just plainly said <em>A. Emerald.</em></p><p><br/>
“Wow, uh… a book of poems by someone,” Asami pauses as she flips through the pages, “Who is very much me and my poems from my private journal…”<br/>
<br/>
“Do you like it!? Don’t worry about how much it cost to self-publish, but you have a real gift and the people need to see your work! I also have this whole box that we are going to sell!” Opal’s voice strains as she picks up a giant box of books.<br/>
<br/>
“It’s sweet, a little unnerving that you went through my private collection, but sweet nonetheless.” Asami smiles.<br/>
<br/>
“Soooo… what are we going to do for your birthday? Shots? I think we need shots.” Opal squeals happily as she runs into the kitchen to grab two shot glasses. She pours them out and hands one to Asami. “To your <em>almost</em> birthday!”<br/>
<br/>
“Yaaaay,” Asami deadpans as she throws back the shot. “I really should be getting back to work, though. One is enough, Opal.”<br/>
<br/>
Opal looks at her in the middle of pouring another round of shots. “No! No, no, no. It is YOUR birthday at midnight and you have been working <em>too</em> much. We need to celebrate and go out! Maybe get you laid!”<br/>
<br/>
“Ouch, am I really screaming desperation? Like it’s been over a year since I’ve had <em>the sexy times</em>?” Asami draws out in a silly manner.<br/>
<br/>
“Well… kind of. I mean come on! Kuv said they’d go out with us and I just want to spend a night out with my best friend and my partner.” Opal wraps a feather boa around Asami’s neck. “Come on, it’ll be so much fun!”</p><p>“Okay, fine. What if I say ‘yes’?” Asami asks.<br/>
<br/>
“Then I’ll say you won’t regret it! Hey, maybe we’ll run into that cute girl you saw last week. Uh, what’s her name?”<br/>
<br/>
Asami shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t know. I just saw her leaving that coffee shop down the street.”<br/>
<br/>
“So, you’ve never talked to her?” Opal questions.<br/>
<br/>
“Not… exactly.” Asami bites her lip in embarrassment. “But can you blame me? I’m awkward, Ope.”<br/>
<br/>
“You just ogled the girl and didn’t even say one word to her…”<br/>
<br/>
“I didn’t <em>ogle</em>. I just saw her. She was cute, that was it.” Asami defends. “Besides, it’s not like it matters. Just because I think a girl is cute doesn’t mean that A) she’s gay and B) she’d be into me.”<br/>
<br/>
“Who <em>wouldn’t</em> be into you? You’re smokin’ hot!” Opal squeals loudly.<br/>
<br/>
Asami playfully gags, “Ew. You’re like my sister. That’s gross.”</p><p>“Shut up, you love me.” Opal wraps her arms around her best friend’s neck. “But please, Asami. Come out tonight. That way when the clock strikes midnight we can toast to you turning 25 and maybe if that girl is there, she’ll give you a birthday kiss.”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine.”</p>
<hr/><p>The hangover in the morning had Asami contemplating on whether or not last night was a good idea. Sure, she saw that girl again, she thinks. Well, she’s not entirely sure. After Opal left the tab open and Asami consumed a more than hefty amount of alcohol, everything gets a little blurry.</p><p>Even if the girl was there, Asami knows she didn’t approach her. She meant it when she told Opal she was awkward, having not really dated in the past and kind of being somewhat of a recluse currently. But she wanted to focus on her writing and she didn’t think that was such a bad idea.<br/>
<br/>
Her thoughts are interrupted when her phone starts ringing loudly from under a couch cushion. She sighs loudly, squinting her eyes as the sunlight shines brightly in through the window. Her head was pounding, and she was half tempted to ignore the phone call if the number didn’t show that it was her landlord calling her.<br/>
<br/>
“Hello?” Asami yawns into the phone. She rubs her eyes furiously before they shoot open at the words she just heard. “What do you mean? Oh… wow, uhm okay. So you’re saying that if we don’t have it by the end of this month… Oh god. So end of the month or we’re-“</p><p>….<br/>
<br/>
“EVICTED, OPAL! WE WILL BE EVICTED.” Asami raises her voice as Opal slowly starts waking up from her hangover.<br/>
<br/>
“Could you please stop yelling?” Opal asks as she covers her head with the bedsheet. “It’s fine.”<br/>
<br/>
“You self-published my book with our rent money, didn’t you? God, Opal! We are behind two months and we have until the end of the month to pay ¥20,000!” Asami exclaims, throwing her hands in the air. “Shit, Opal.”</p><p>“We’re not going to get evicted. Look, we can sell your book.”<br/>
<br/>
“That’s not going to sell for that much money in that short of time. Look, I’ll just get a job somewhere. Maybe that’ll help bring in extra money while this freelance stuff pans out.” Asami sighs loudly.<br/>
<br/>
“No, this is my fault. I feel like I need to get the job. Look, I’m sorry. I just got excited about your birthday and I may have gone overboard. But look, I’ll try to sell your book and I’ll tutor some kids in mathematics to make some extra cash.” Opal pulls the cover from over her head and smiles at her best friend. “Don’t kill yourself over a full-time job. Maybe just work for that coffee shop that you saw that girl at or something. It seems pretty laid back.”<br/>
<br/>
“Sato, everything will be okay.” Kuv said as they stick their head up from under the covers. Asami rolls her eyes. Of course, Kuv was here, and she totally just barged in on them. “Go get that coffee job and Opal and I will figure out the rest, okay? I can totally sell some of my artwork. Opal can tutor. We can make up the money in no time.”<br/>
<br/>
“Okay. Thanks, guys. I’m sorry I just barged in here.” Asami ducks her head in embarrassment. “But Kuv, you shouldn’t have to help us. You don’t even live here.”<br/>
<br/>
Kuvira shrugs. “It’s what friends do. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to sleep.”</p>
<hr/><p>Asami nervously taps her fingers against her thigh as she waits for her interviewer, Mako, to finish writing something down on the sheet of paper in front of him.</p><p>“Okay, Asami. While you don’t have much experience in being a barista, I think we can make this work. We’re in desperate need of someone, so it’d be nice to have an extra set of hands around. Uhm, we usually pay around ¥106 an hour, plus tips. So really, you’d be walking out with around ¥141 an hour. Our customers tip pretty well.” Mako speaks up. “Is this still something you’d be interested in?”<br/>
<br/>
“Of course, yes!” Asami replies happily. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”<br/>
<br/>
“No worries.” Mako chuckles at Asami’s excitement. “You’re really helping us out here. Also, my brother Bolin came up with a thought about may be starting to sell some books here from independent writers, so if you know of any, we’d love to try and sell them.”<br/>
<br/>
“I, uh—I’m a writer. My best friend self-published a book of poems by me and that’s kind of why I’m here seeking out a job I’m not qualified for.” Asami admits sheepishly, almost embarrassed even.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, well…” Mako clasps his hands together. “Let me get in touch with Bolin, but we may be buying some of those for you to sell. How much per each book?”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t… I don’t know.” Asami says nervously. “I’d have to ask my friend.”</p><p>“Awesome, well, Asami. I think you’d be a good fit here. Do you think you could start tomorrow?”<br/>
<br/>
“I most definitely can.” Asami assures.<br/>
<br/>
The interview ends and Mako shakes her hand firmly. Asami smiles and gathers her things, heading towards the exit when the bell above the door dings and the girl that she had seen last week comes in.<br/>
<br/>
This is the first time Asami had seen her up close and <em>now</em> she knows she’s leering a little too much. The girl had short brown hair, piercing cyan eyes, and tanned skin. She was wearing a tank top that showed off chiseled arms and Asami had to peel her eyes away before she started drooling.<br/>
<br/>
<strong><em>Way out of your league, Sato. Just forget it.</em></strong><br/>
<br/>
“Hey Mako!” The girl calls out, running to the counter.<br/>
<br/>
“Coffee, black.” Mako chuckles handing the drink over to the girl who starts inspecting the cup. “Seriously, Korra, it’s your usual. I didn’t give you some weird drink.”<br/>
<br/>
“Gotta be sure!” The girl, Korra, if Asami heard correctly, replies. “Bolin tried to sneak me a caramel macchiato once. He thought it was funny.”<br/>
<br/>
“Only the best for our favorite customer.” Mako takes the money from Korra’s hand, waving goodbye as she leaves the counter.<br/>
<br/>
Asami breaks herself out of thoughts, noticing that she had just been standing there watching their interaction. As soon as she heads for the door, her shoulder barely bumps into the other girl’s.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh my god—I’m so sorry.” Asami stutters out in all of her awkwardness.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey, don’t mention it.” The girl says smoothly and Asami is sure that her face flushed red at the exact time. “I haven’t seen you around here before.”<br/>
<br/>
“I—uh, I just got a job here.” Asami admits.<br/>
<br/>
“Cool, well I’ll be seeing you a lot… uh…?”<br/>
<br/>
“Salami.” Asami spits out and knows for a fact that she just said something completely stupid. “Oh god. That was just—I mean, Asami. My name is Asami.”</p><p>“Well, <em>Salami</em>. I’m Korra.” She teases. “it was nice running into you, literally.”<br/>
<br/>
“UH—yeah! We should like… definitely… do that again.” Asami mentally slaps herself. <strong><em>Get yourself together Sato. You’re a writer, you’re not supposed to be this socially incompetent.</em></strong><br/>
<br/>
Korra chuckles. “Alright, sounds like a plan.”<br/>
<br/>
Asami just nods as Korra leaves the coffee shop, winking at Asami as she heads down the street.<br/>
<br/>
“Holy. Fucking. Shit.” Asami says under her breath, shaking her thoughts and heading out as well.</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Opal was going to have a field day when she heard about this.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. All I Wanna Get Is A Little Bit Closer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Asami continues being awkward.<br/>What else is new?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>These chapters are significantly shorter than Taken Hostage. But that's okay.<br/>I'm honestly not sure where this story is going, but we're just gonna go wherever my queer ass brain takes us, okay?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Asami’s first morning training had gone well. She and Bolin had come in before opening so that she could get well acquainted without a slew of their early birds showing up and making it difficult to learn.</p><p>Mako had also purchased a decent amount of books from Asami for them to try Bolin’s idea of selling local author’s works. Opal had been ecstatic, having earned about 25% of the money they needed for rent from Mako’s purchase. Asami felt differently about it, however. She knew she was a good writer, and she finally came to terms with Opal publishing her works, but at the same time, selling them in her new place of employment only made her feel self-conscious.<br/>
<br/>
After learning the ropes, Bolin had left to go do inventory, leaving Asami by herself. She had gotten the hang of the processes pretty easily, so even the morning rush didn’t freak her out as much as she had originally thought.<br/>
<br/>
The morning had slowed down and Asami was busy cleaning the counters when she hears the bell ding. She looks over and her eyes go wide at the sight of Korra walking through the door.<br/>
<br/>
She remembers coming home the previous day, after being offered the job, to Opal poking fun at her for her rather embarrassing moment with said girl who was walking up to the counter.<br/>
<br/>
Korra smiles widely at her, picking up the book of poetry that was on the counter, looking at it. “Hey, Salami.”<br/>
<br/>
“Korra.” Asami says, trying not to make a fool of herself already.<br/>
<br/>
“So, Bolin finally got his wish of selling local stuff, huh?” Korra glances down at the book and then back up. “A. Emerald… never heard of them. Have you read it yet?”<br/>
<br/>
“I—uh…” Asami stammers, turning around to get Korra’s usual that she had overheard Mako make. “That’s me…”<br/>
<br/>
“No way!” Korra exclaims. “So you’re a published author, that’s cool.”<br/>
<br/>
“Self-published.” Asami still had her back to Korra, which somehow made it easier for her to speak. “So, it’s not as cool.”<br/>
<br/>
Asami nervously turns around and hands Korra her coffee. “Coffee, black. I promise I didn’t make you a caramel macchiato.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ah, so you heard that Bolin tried to sabotage me once.” Korra chuckles, pulling her wallet out of her pocket. “I’ll take one of your books, too. How much?”<br/>
<br/>
“Get on me.” Asami sputters out, immediately mentally slapping herself for what she said.<br/>
<br/>
“Get on you?” Korra’s eyebrow raises and a smirk is plastered on her face.<br/>
<br/>
“I mean, the book. Uh yeah, the book is on me.” Asami replies instantly.<br/>
<br/>
“Oh cool. Thanks.”<br/>
<br/>
“And it’s Asami Sato. Uh. My name. My roommate came up with the pen-name. But it’s Asami… Sato.” Asami’s voice gets lower. “In case you ever want to lick me, I mean look me up.”</p><p>“Okay,” Korra grins goofily. “I’ll see you around, Asami.”<br/>
<br/>
“You really need to stop talking sometimes.” Asami mutters to herself as she watches Korra leave the coffee shop.</p>
<hr/><p>Asami gets home and plops down on the couch. The rest of her day had been pretty boring, the morning rush really did die down and service became slow. Asami appreciated it, though, she knows she didn’t do terribly for her first day and was excited for her next shift. It may or may not have something to do with being able to see Korra again.<br/>
<br/>
She’s unsure what it was about Korra that had her making a fool of herself. Asami had never been one to be great at being social, but she felt completely inept when it came to any interaction she’s had with Korra.<br/>
<br/>
The door swinging open broke Asami out of her thoughts. Opal and Kuvira bound in with wide smiles on their faces.<br/>
<br/>
“We sold a painting! We’re over halfway done with coming up with the rent money!” Opal squeals happily, while Kuvira just shrugs it off and follows along. That was always one thing Asami noticed about the couple. Opal was a bright ray of sunshine, and Kuvira was extremely reserved and quiet. She would’ve never guessed the two would work so well together, but who was she to assume? She was horrible when it came to anything relationship related.<br/>
<br/>
“That’s awesome.” Asami replies from the couch.<br/>
<br/>
“How was work?” Opal asks as she sits down next to Asami. “Did you get to see Kooorrra?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes, and it was fine.” Asami huffs out.<br/>
<br/>
“You said something awkward again, didn’t you?”<br/>
<br/>
Asami groans, grabbing a pillow and burying her face in it. “Yes. Don’t remind me.”<br/>
<br/>
“What did you say?” Opal questions.<br/>
<br/>
“I told her to get on me and lick me up. Out of context that sounds horrible. In context, it was a fucking nightmare. I made such a fool of myself.”<br/>
<br/>
“Ooooh. I didn’t know this girl was attractive enough to get you all hot and bothered.” Opal wiggles her eyebrows.<br/>
<br/>
“I’m not hot and bothered.” Asami glares, Opal giving her a look that says otherwise. “Fine, I’m bothered. Bothered by you being nosey.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh come on, Asami. I think it’s cute.”<br/>
<br/>
“It’s not cute when you’re in my shoes. It’s downright embarrassing.”<br/>
<br/>
“I’m sure Korra probably thinks it’s adorable.” Opal smiles.<br/>
<br/>
Asami sighs. “You don’t even know her! She probably thinks I’m stupid.”<br/>
<br/>
“You’re not stupid, Asami. You’re just not social. There’s nothing wrong with that!”<br/>
<br/>
“I guess,” Asami shrugs. “I guess I’ve just always been more in tune with a paper and pen than I ever have been with communicating verbally.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh, I know what helps. Picture her naked.” Opal exclaims. “Like they tell you to do when you have public speaking problems!”<br/>
<br/>
“UH…” Asami’s eyes widen.<br/>
<br/>
Opal gasps loudly. “OH MY GOD. HAVE YOU PICTURED HER NAKED?”<br/>
<br/>
“NO! UGH. NO. I have not!”<br/>
<br/>
“You totally have.” Opal smirks.</p><p>Asami groans loudly and shoves her face back in the pillow. “Leave me here to die, please. While I still have some dignity left.”<br/>
<br/>
“You have to describe this girl to me! I want to know what you’re dealing with here.” Opal pokes Asami in the side.<br/>
<br/>
“Must you?”<br/>
<br/>
“Yes. As your best friend and roommate, I must approve. And well, since I don’t know what she looks like, that’s a good start.” Opal keeps poking Asami until she looks up glaring daggers at her. “Oh come on!”<br/>
<br/>
“Fine.” Asami huffs out. “She’s like average height, chestnut brown hair, beautiful tanned skin, uh…”<br/>
<br/>
Opal starts waving her hand in Asami’s face as she talks, lost in some sort of trance. “Asami?”</p><p> </p><p>“She has cerulean colored eyes, like prettier than the ocean…”<br/>
<br/>
“Asami.”<br/>
<br/>
“And she’s got this really cute, lopsided smile. She always wears tank tops to show off her extremely toned biceps…”<br/>
<br/>
Suddenly, a sting forms across Asami’s cheek and she instantly raises her hand to touch it. “What the hell was that for?”<br/>
<br/>
“Dude, you were like, entranced by describing her.” Opal explains. “You really like her, don’t you?”<br/>
<br/>
“I don’t know.” Asami harrumphs. “Okay, maybe. Ugh. Why did you get me started?”<br/>
<br/>
“Ask her out.”<br/>
<br/>
“No.”<br/>
<br/>
“Come on, what do you have to lose?”<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<hr/><p>Asami had the perfect plan, and that’s saying a lot coming from someone who doesn’t socially interact well with others. All she had to do was wait for Korra to show up for her daily usual.</p><p>It was a little later in the morning when Korra finally showed up, as Asami leaned against the counter trying to quickly finish her corndog that she made for a snack.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey, Asami.” Korra smiles.<br/>
<br/>
“Hey.”<br/>
<br/>
“You’ve, uh, got mustard on your apron.” Korra points to the small mustard stain on Asami’s white apron.<br/>
<br/>
Asami sighs. <em>Great way to start this.</em></p><p>“Yeah, well… I feel like I probably have a lot mustard stains on my clothes. I’m kind of a wiener connoisseur.” Asami chuckles and Korra’s eyes narrow in confusion. “Well. Wait, no, not that kind of wiener. I like va—you know what, never mind. Your coffee?”  <br/>
<br/>
“Uh yeah, the daily usual.” Korra replies as Asami turns around, face flushed red.<br/>
<br/>
“Stop talking, Asami.” She tells herself as she grabs Korra’s coffee before turning back around. “Here you go.”<br/>
<br/>
“Thanks.” Korra smiles widely, handing over the money.<br/>
<br/>
“No problem.” Asami mirrors her smile, then pulls a piece of receipt paper out of her pocket. “Oh, your receipt.”<br/>
<br/>
“Oh?” Korra looks shocked. She looks down to see a phone number written on it. “Did you, write your number down on a piece of random receipt paper to give to me?”<br/>
<br/>
“Uh…” Asami draws out, “Yeah. I was thinking maybe… we could, uh hang out?”<br/>
<br/>
“I’d like that.” Korra nods. “So like a date?”<br/>
<br/>
“I mean, yeah sure.” Asami tries to play off nonchalantly. “We could like… go on a date.”<br/>
<br/>
“And if I said yes to said date, when would this be taking place?” Korra asks. “IF, I say yes.”<br/>
<br/>
“Well, if you said yes, I’d probably say maybe later tonight? After I’m off?”<br/>
<br/>
“Sounds good, I’ll text you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Date next chapter :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Tonight, You're Fuel For My Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Asami and Korra's first date.<br/>What else is there to say?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm just taking this story wherever my gay brain decides in the moment. So enjoy :D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Asami has been pacing around her bedroom for the last hour, throwing clothes on her bed, angrily groaning as she tries to find something nice to wear. She doesn’t really know what this date with Korra will entail. Does she dress fancy? Casual? Comfy?<br/><br/>Obviously she wants to make a good first date impression, since she can only assume her real first impression was something short of being desired. She had made a complete fool of herself the few times that she had interacted with Korra, and she really wanted this date to go well. She had been proud of herself for even taking the initiative, it was probably the most calm, collected, and confident that Asami had been in years. <br/><br/><em>For what it’s worth, if this date goes bad, at least I—don’t have to see her everyday… Shit, I’d have to see her everyday. </em><br/><br/>The realization of Korra being a regular at her workplace sends her into a panic. Because if she ruined this date, she’d still have to see Korra every freaking day. And she really liked her job, and Bolin and Mako, so it’s not like she could just quit. <br/><br/>“Oof. Okay… You got this, Asami.” She starts her pep talk. “Korra is just a girl. A beautiful, confident, out of your league girl.”<br/><br/>Asami falls backwards on her bed, sighing loudly as she covers her face with her hands. <br/><br/>“I’m in over my head.”</p><p>“No, you’re not!” Opal pokes her head in Asami’s bedroom. “You’re Asami Freaking Sato, heiress of Future Industries.”<br/><br/>“Don’t call me that Ope. You know that I don’t want any part in the family business anymore.” Asami huffs out. “I just want to be me, not the shadow of my father’s footsteps.” <br/><br/>“Well, he wants to talk to you.” Opal says with a pained look on her face. “He said he tried calling you a few times, and he’s on the line on my phone right now.”<br/><br/>“Ugh.” Asami groans, removing her hands from her face and stretching one outward to grab the phone. “Hi dad.”<br/><br/>“Asami, my dear. I heard you and Opal are having money problems.” Hiroshi says without skipping a beat. “Are you done playing around with that silly career of yours and ready to come back to Future Industries?”<br/><br/>“First off, how did you hear? And second off, no, I’m not. I like being a writer, dad. I don’t want your money, I can manage just fine.” Asami rolls her eyes, even though she knows he can’t see her, the tone of her voice should be enough.<br/><br/>“A job at a coffee shop and writing a blog is not fine, my darling.” Hiroshi continues. “And Opal posted about it on Facebook. I just want to help.”<br/><br/>“Well, I don’t need your help!” Asami snaps at him. “I don’t need your money. I don’t need some job at the warehouse where I’m surrounded by men who don’t know a socket wrench from their own ass. I am happy where I am, why can’t you just accept this?”<br/><br/>“It’s not the life your mother and I wanted for you.” <br/><br/>“But it’s not your decision, either. Look, dad, I appreciate the concern, but please, for the love of god… Please stop treating me like a child.” Asami flat out begs. “I’m old enough to make my own decisions. I don’t want to be some snooty rich girl who always gets what she wants just because ‘daddy has money’. That’s not who I am, nor who I want to be.”<br/><br/>“I understand, dear. I’m sorry for being overbearing. I just worry about you. I want you to succeed.” <br/><br/>“I’m sorry for blowing up on you. I just—I’m happy. Shouldn’t that be enough?”</p><p>“You’re right. I do apologize, Asami.” Hiroshi sighs. “Your happiness is the most important thing. I guess I just forget that money isn’t everything sometimes.”<br/><br/>“It’s okay…” Asami draws out. “Look, I—I think I may enter that race on Saturday, you know, if you want to come support me.”<br/><br/>“I will pencil you in.”<br/><br/>“Don’t bring money, either, please.” Asami demands. “Seriously, dad.”<br/><br/>“I won’t, I won’t.” Hiroshi replies cautiously. “Is there prize money?”<br/><br/>“Daaaaaaad.” <br/><br/>“I’m sorry! I get it. You like racing for racing. Not for the money, but for the thrill.” <br/><br/>Asami lets out a chuckle. “I’ll send you the details later, okay? I got to go get ready…”<br/><br/>“Ready for what?”<br/><br/>“A date.”</p><hr/><p>It took Asami another hour to get ready, not because it takes her that long to actually get ready, but because she spent most of her time freaking out as the clock draws closer to when she’s supposed to meet Korra at The Fire Ferrets Café. Opal had insisted on doing her makeup, beaming as she proudly tries to show Asami what she did.<br/><br/>“You look freaking beautiful.” Opal squeals as she moves Asami so she’s facing the mirror.<br/><br/>But there was one small issue, Asami didn’t have her glasses on and all she could see was the blurry outline of her head. “Uh, Opal… I kind of… need my glasses.”<br/><br/>“OH. Right.” Opal grabs Asami’s glasses and hands them to her. “You really should think about getting contacts.”<br/><br/>“Too much effort, besides, I like them.” Asami puts her glasses on, smiling as she looks at herself in the mirror. Opal had used purple eyeshadow above her eyes, really accentuating the green, and some basic eyeliner. “Thanks, Opal. I love it.” <br/><br/>“Well now you just look like a hot librarian.” Opal smirks, wiggling her eyebrows. “I bet Korra will love that. What are you wearing? Do you <em>want</em> to look like a hot librarian because I can work with that.” <br/><br/>“Uh… not really. Korra said ‘comfy casual’, so I highly doubt hot librarian is what she had in mind.” <br/><br/>“Ooh, how about these?” Opal says asks as she pulls a pair of black skinny jeans out of Asami’s dresser. “And maybe like, just a comfy, loose fitting t-shirt?”<br/><br/>“That could work.” Asami says, rummaging through her closet for shirt. She pulls out a baseball tee styled shirt with a maroon base and black sleeves. “What about this?”<br/><br/>“Perfect.”<br/><br/>“Oh, can I use the car? I don’t want to have to walk all the way down there.” Asami asks as she changes.<br/><br/>“Actually, Kuv and I were also going out. We can drop you off??” <br/><br/>“No, it’s fine, really. This just means I have to eventually get off my ass to get my car fixed. I can take the—”<br/><br/>“You’re going to show up to your date in the RX8!?” Opal interrupts. “But that’s like your baby.”<br/><br/>“Well, I’m racing it this weekend. Might as well get it warmed up. It’s been sitting in the expensive ass garage we pay for untouched for a year now.” Asami shrugs her shoulders. <br/><br/>“I swear by the end of the night, Korra may jump your bones. Because that car is sexy. And you look hot as fuck.” Opal says suggestively. <br/><br/>“I doubt that… I just hope she doesn’t think I’m a stuck up, prissy rich girl.” Asami sighs. “I mean, for this specific model, only five were made…”<br/><br/>“Well yeah, but your dad built it. And he gave it to you because you like racing.” <br/><br/>“I guess we’ll see how she reacts.” Asami takes her lower lip between her teeth, feeling the nervousness settle in her stomach. “Wish me luck.”</p><p>“Luck is wished upon you! Go forth child!" Opal waves her hand towards the door. <br/><br/>"I'M OLDER THAN YOU." </p><hr/><p>Asami pulls into the parking lot, making sure her car was the furthest away from any other. She gets out and scans the lot, figuring Korra must be waiting inside the cafe for her. She sees a few cars and trucks in the lot and wonders which one Korra drives. She could totally see Korra in the run down Toyota 4Runner she passes on her way in.</p><p>She spots Korra as soon as she walks in the door, a wide, lopsided smile painted across her face.</p><p>“I hope I’m not too late.” Asami says as she takes a seat, noticing a drink in front of her on the table. It was a MMMatcha, a specialty drink from the cafe that she had been consuming every day she’s worked. It had matcha powder, soy milk, vanilla, and mint. It was like heaven in her mouth.</p><p>“You aren’t, I was early.” Korra replies, tapping her fingers against her identical drink. “I—uh... got that for you. I hope it’s okay. Bolin said you’ve been drinking these religiously since you started.”</p><p>“I have been. No coffee this time?” Asami chuckles, taking a sip from the cup.</p><p>“Oh god no. You wouldn’t want to deal with me and all that caffeine.” Korra shakes her head. “Besides, this is really good. If I didn’t need to be awake so damn early, I think I’d switch.”</p><p>“True. I was wondering what you do that usually has you up at the god forsaken hours of the morning.”</p><p>“I’m a personal trainer.” Korra shrugs. “The days I show up later are usually my days off. But my body got so used to consuming coffee every morning that I just do it all the time now.”</p><p>Asami smiles. Of course, she was a personal trainer. It would explain the extremely, nice, chiseled muscles. Not that she extensively checked them out... okay, maybe she did. But who could blame her? It’s not like she imagined those strong ass arms wrapped up around her.</p><p>
  <em>Okay, stop. Just... stop thinking of her muscles. Those strong... nope. </em>
</p><p>They fall easily into conversation, until it’s time for the cafe to close. They stand outside, Korra’s hand in her pocket as she nervously looks around. And Asami’s shocked, to be honest. Korra had always been so cool and confident around her, and now she’s bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.</p><p>“Uh—did you maybe want to... do something else?” Korra asks, avoiding eye contact.</p><p>“What did you have in mind?”</p><p>“Maybe like... can we go for a walk?” Korra breathes out. “I’m just like—honestly I’m kind of nervous and walking helps?”</p><p>“And here I was thinking that I was the nervous wreck.” Asami replies, watching as Korra’s eyes finally meet hers. “Not that I’m not... nervous.”</p><p>“It’s just I have to deal with people with my job, and that’s easy? but like—whew. Okay when it comes to this stuff, I’m just a bumbling mess.” Korra admits, breaking eye contact and looking down at the ground.</p><p>“Korra, it’s okay. Really, I—I’m the same way. I would love to go for a walk.”</p><p>Korra looks up, a brightness in her eyes like a kid on Christmas.</p><p>“Okay, cool!” She says, looking down both ends of the street. She points to her left, “Let’s go this way.”</p><hr/><p>The first 20 minutes of their walk were filled with silence, but not awkward silence, more like a comfortable one. Asami makes note of the few time she can feel Korra’s hand accidentally brush against her and the mumbled ‘sorry’s that emit from her mouth. More than anything, she wants to grab hold of Korra’s hand, but the sweatiness of her own palms gives her pause.</p><p>Asami spots a lavender plant out of the corner of her eye and stops walking, plucking a flower from the stem.</p><p>“So—anyway...” Korra trails off, noticing Asami was no longer next to her but a few feet back. “Are you good?”</p><p>“I’m so sorry.” Asami apologizes, walking back over to where Korra was. “I just saw this plant and it’s like one of my favorite smells.”</p><p>“Oh, no worries.” Korra smiles. “What kind of plant?”</p><p>“Lavender. It’s—uh, here...” Asami holds the flower out for Korra to smell. “I love the smell of lavender. You can even eat and drink it, so that’s a plus.”</p><p>“You can EAT this?” Korra exclaims. “Like it smells really nice but you can eat it too?”</p><p>“Mhmm.” Asami nods. “You can eat and drink a decent amount of flowers. I’m pretty sure we have a tea at the cafe with lavender in it.”</p><p>“Wow. That’s so cool.” Korra muses. “I don’t know any cool facts like about nature. I know weird anatomy facts, though? That’s something I can bring to the table, though, it doesn’t seem like that interesting because the human body is honestly kind of gross. And weird. Yeah, it’s pretty weird…”<br/><br/>Asami chuckles lightly at Korra’s nervous rambling, but thinks it’s adorable so allows her to continue.<br/><br/>“Like did you know that the force it takes to bite a baby carrot is the force it takes to bite off your pinky? The only thing that stops you is the pain. Like how crazy is that? Your bones are so fragile, but also like so strong. And also, the outer coating of your bone is the most pain sensitive part of your body, that’s why it hurts so much being kicked in the shins. It’s called the periosteum. And I—” Korra pauses and looks at Asami with wide eyes. “Am I… oh god, I’m boring you, aren’t I?”<br/><br/>Asami shakes her head, smiling sweetly at Korra. “No, actually, I find it rather cute.”<br/><br/>“Oh. Whew, okay. Good.” <br/><br/>Their walk ends when they’re standing in front of an old timey arcade, with games from decades ago. They both look at each other, bright eyes and smiles plastered on their faces.<br/><br/>“Do you want to go!?”<br/>“Can we PLEASE go in there?”<br/><br/>It’s said at the exact same time, and it has Korra and Asami both laughing heartily at how similar they actually are. They decide to go in and check it out, Korra happily pointing out some of the games.<br/><br/>There was old-time foosball and one of those silly love meters that you both put your hand on and it tells you your fate via things like ‘Red Hot’ or ‘Blah’. They decided to play everything they possibly could, and found out that each of them were pretty competitive. <br/><br/>When they made it to the Love Meter, they played for a joke, but both turned red in the face when the game stopped at ‘Smoldering’. <br/><br/>Asami had never felt so comfortable and so much like herself than she did around Korra. She couldn’t describe it, but there was something about her that made Asami break down her barriers and walls, and let her in.</p><p>“Tonight was a blast.” Asami’s grinning from ear to ear as they walk back to the parking lot next to the café. “I had a wonderful time.”<br/><br/>“Me too,” Korra says sheepishly, hands in her pockets. “I—uh. Whoa.”<br/><br/>Korra spots Asami’s 2006 Maroon and Black Mazda RX-8 and her eyes go wide. “Who drives that thing?”<br/><br/>“Uh…” Asami hesitates, looking down in embarrassment. “I do.”</p><p>“THAT is your car!? And you work HERE?”</p><p>“Uhhhh... yeah.” Asami draws out. “I barely drive it unless I have to.”</p><p>“You drive a sports car. Okay, cool.” Korra breathes out nervously. “That’s not like extremely...”</p><p>“Korra, it’s nothing really. It’s just my race car and I really haven’t had time to work on my daily commuter. Opal and I have been sharing her car and she’s using it so...”</p><p>“AND YOU RACE CARS?” Korra exclaims. “You race cars and you’re working at a coffee shop, and I drive some beat up Toyota.”</p><p>“I don’t race much anymore…” Asami pauses. “And I thought that car was yours.”</p><p>“You’re a published author...”</p><p>“Self-published.” Asami corrects.</p><p>“Who drives one of the rarest models of cars ever.” Korra says as she spots the Future Industries logo under the trim. “They only made like 10 of those right?”</p><p>“Five, and it’s really not that big of a deal.”</p><p>“Sooo are you... uh—”</p><p>“Rich? No. My parents are, and this was originally my dad’s.” Asami shrugs. “I got it as a graduation present, since my dad built it and all.”</p><p>“Wait. Sato. You’re THE Hiroshi Sato’s daughter?”</p><p>“Yep.” Asami cringes. She hated people knowing who her dad was. Not that she didn’t love him, or her mom, but her mind goes back to the conversation she had with him earlier. You know, the one where he told her writing wasn’t a career and then offered her money. “But I don’t bank off of him. He got pretty upset when I quit Future Industries to become a writer. Keeps trying to offer me money, but I don’t know. I was never really like that. I really only drove this because Opal has the other car. I’m not trying to like show off, you know? I just want to be me, not the daughter of one of the biggest engineering tycoons in the city.”</p><p>“I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. It just—took me by surprise.” Korra apologizes sincerely. “Really, uh, god. I feel like an ass.”</p><p>“You’re not, trust me.” Asami smiles. “But yeah… this is the race car.”<br/><br/>“I still can’t believe you race.”<br/><br/>“I race, I can race, I have the capacity to race.” Asami shrugs. “Oh, that reminds me, I actually have one this weekend…”<br/><br/>“A race!?” Korra exclaims like a giddy child. <br/><br/>“Yeah, I suck. Please come?” <br/><br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next chapter: race day.<br/>And Korra may meet Asami's parents????????</p><p>Also, reference in here, did anyone catch it?<br/>;) </p><p>Also, also: this is pretty much how mine and my partner's first date went. We walked, she talked about plants, I talked about the human body. We were both extremely nervous around each other.</p><p>The MMMatcha is a drink from an actual coffee shop out here in Colorado called Endless Grind, so if you're in Colorado, check it out!</p><p>And the old-timey arcade is real, too! It's in Manitou Springs, Colorado; so once again, if you're in CO, check it out :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Played It Cool, And Then I Overdressed It</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Race day :D</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was the day of the race and Asami was busy wiping down the tables and counters, trying to get everything clean before she left work. It had been a relatively long day, especially because it was the first day that she didn’t get to see Korra since their date. Which was only one out of the three days since their date, but nonetheless it seemed to have made Asami’s day go by slower. She looked forward to being able to see Korra, but she had opted for the closing shift so she could work on her car before the race and Korra had an early morning. <br/><br/>She glances at the clock, shocked to see that only ten minutes had passed since the café closed, and she was almost done. Maybe it was her determination to get out of there as quickly as possible, or her anxiety about the race tonight that had her cleaning as quickly as Sonic The Hedgehog moves. Either way, Asami was happy to get out earlier than expected as it gave her more time to ‘freak the fuck out’ at home. She didn’t really know what to expect of the night, she hadn’t raced in forever. And it wasn’t a typical wheel to wheel race, it was a Time Attack, something that Asami had never really experienced in her years of drag (quarter mile) races and touring races. Add that on top of racing in front of Korra and Asami’s nerves were all over the place.</p><p>Opal was helping Asami get ready, making sure that she had everything that she needed ready before she headed to the track. Since she had to be there early, she would have to wait to see Korra who had excitedly texted her to let her know that she was indeed still showing up.</p><p>“Okay,” Opal starts, looking at the checklist Asami had written out. “Racing jumpsuit?”<br/><br/>“Check.” Asami says as she stuffs it into her duffle bag. <br/><br/>“And you checked your harness in the car for flaws?”<br/><br/>“Yep.”<br/><br/>“Did you put your Yokohama Neova tires on?”<br/><br/>“I did that this morning.” Asami nods. <br/><br/>“Added the E/G oil cooler to keep your engine temp low?”<br/><br/>“Also added this morning.” <br/><br/>“Anything else I’m missing?” Opal looks over the list. “Oh helmet, glasses, boots, gloves.”<br/><br/>“Check, check, check, and…” Asami looks around the garage for her gloves. “Check.”<br/><br/>“Awesome, I think you’re all set to go!” Opal squeals with excitement. “How do you feel?”<br/><br/>“Nervous, duh.” Asami chuckles.</p><p>“Well, I have no doubt that you’ll kill it, tonight. I wish I could be there, but we’re so close to paying the rent off and I promised that I would do my fair share of work.” Opal replies sadly.<br/><br/>“Hey, it’s cool. I already texted Mako and Bolin who decided they wanted to come to tell them to film it for you.” Asami smiles, patting her best friend on the shoulder. “Now, wish me luck.”<br/><br/>“Luck!”</p><hr/><p>Korra hurries up the bleachers as soon as she spots Mako and Bolin sitting in the stands. She had gotten there late due to a car issue and had to uber the rest of the way there. <br/><br/>“Sorry, I’m late.” She breathes out, trying to catch her breath from practically sprinting. She stares down at the track and sees Asami’s car pass the checkered line. “HELL YEAH, ASAMI. You beat everyone!”<br/><br/>“Uh… Korra?” Mako raises his eyebrow at his friend. “You do know that she’s not racing the other cars on the track, right?”<br/><br/>“No?”<br/><br/>“This is a time attack. You got here just in time for her to finish her preliminary lap which she fully accelerates into, before running two laps and being timed. Then she has a cool down lap and her best time wins.” Mako explains, pointing to the time board near the track. “See that? She has to beat a minute and ten seconds in order to win the whole thing.”<br/><br/>“OH!” Korra exclaims as she continues watching Asami weave in and out of the turns like a pro. “Well, go Asami! You can beat them!”</p><p>“HA!” A loud voice booms behind her. “You think <em>that girl</em> can beat Tahno’s speed? He’s the fastest racer there is.”<br/><br/>“Well <em>that girl</em> is going to kick your friend’s ass, just watch!” Korra yells back at him, looking back at the time board and noticing that Asami’s first last was just a couple of seconds short of the record for the night. <br/><br/>“Yeah, right.” He scoffs, crossing his arms. “Tell your girlfriend to stop playing with the big boys.”<br/><br/>“Why, I oughta!” Korra clenches her fists and turns around to glare at the man before feeling Bolin’s hand on her forearm, shaking his head. She huffs out in anger and turns back around, cheering Asami on for her final lap.</p><p>
  <strong>‘Well folks, it’s down to the last stretch. Asami Sato is finishing out her last lap. Can she beat Tahno’s time?’</strong>
</p><p>“COME ON, ASAMI!” Bolin shrieks as her car passes the line. <br/><br/><strong>‘And the time from the transponder is coming in right now!’</strong><br/><br/>They all look over at the time board and watch as the time displays on the screen. <strong>00:01:09.564</strong><br/><br/><strong>‘And it looks like we have a winner everyone! Asami Sato beat out Tahno’s time by mere milliseconds!’ </strong></p><p>The crowd cheers and Korra turns around, sticking her tongue out at the man standing behind her. “Told you so!”</p><hr/><p>Korra, Mako, and Bolin are all waiting near the track by the end of the night, and Korra was in awe. Sure, Asami had told her that she sucked at racing, but in all actuality, she left everyone in the dust. <br/><br/>“Dude, your girlfriend is awesome!” Bolin exclaims loudly, the thrill of watching the race still running through him. <br/><br/>Korra blushes and looks down at the ground, “She’s not my girlfriend, but yeah, she’s pretty great.” <br/><br/>“I thought you said that she said she sucked at racing.” Mako mentions, looking around the track. <br/><br/>“Well that was definitely untrue. I’ll have to tease her about it tonight.” Korra chuckles. Suddenly, her eyes light up as she sees Asami walking towards them. She watches intently as Asami pulls her helmet off, hair blowing through the wind, and Korra’s mouth is hanging wide open. “Holy shit.”<br/><br/>Bolin waves his hand in front of Korra’s face, trying to break her out of her daze. “You good there, Korra?”<br/><br/>“Mhmm.” Korra gulps loudly as Asami approaches them with a wide smile on her face. “You’re amazing.”</p><p>Asami chuckles nervously, “Uh thanks? Hi to you, too.”</p><p>“Yeah, hi.” <br/><br/>“Ahem.” Mako clears his throat. “You were pretty good out there. It’s pretty cool to have a racer working for us.”</p><p>“It’s no big deal.” Asami shrugs her shoulders, eyebrow raising as Bolin, Korra, and Mako all give her a look. “What? It really isn’t.”<br/><br/>“Coming from the badass woman who just smoked all those boys!?” Bolin’s boisterous voice shouts. “Uh, that’s a pretty big deal.” <br/><br/>“Yeah, you’re too modest sometimes, my darling.” Hiroshi Sato says as he walks up behind the group with Asami’s mother Yasuko. He spots Mako and stares him up and down. “You, what are your intentions with my daughter?”<br/><br/>“Excuse me?” Mako is taken aback.<br/><br/>Asami groans loudly, literally facepalming in embarrassment. “Dad, that’s my boss.”</p><p>“Hiroshi,” Yasuko scolds, “Asami does not date men.”<br/><br/>“But what about that Iroh kid!?” Hiroshi inquires, looking shocked.<br/><br/>“I was 12, dad.” Asami huffs out, angrily, shaking her head in disappointment. She had thought that he was past this.<br/><br/>Yasuko turns her attention to Korra who’s watching the interaction and twiddling her thumbs. She extends a hand outward towards Korra, offering a shake. “Hi, you must be Korra, Asami’s date. I’ve heard a lot about you.”<br/><br/>“Oh—Uh… yeah… I’m—Yes, ma’am.” Korra stutters out, grabbing Yasuko’s hand and giving it a firm, but soft shake.<br/><br/>“Oh, so she tells you her date’s name but not me?” Hiroshi says dejectedly. <br/><br/>“Because you act like this every time, darling.” Yasuko rolls her eyes. “Please do excuse my husband. He’s just so into his head sometimes.”<br/><br/>“I heard that.”<br/><br/>“Uh—yeah, it’s no problem.” Korra takes a step back, eyes wandering around the group to find Asami, whose eyes seem to be apologizing to her. <br/><br/>“It was a pleasure meeting you.” Yasuko smiles genuinely. “Hopefully we’ll see you around sometime.”<br/><br/>“Yeah, yeah, that’d be great.”<br/><br/>“Come on, Hiroshi, let’s go. I don’t want to put a damper on whatever these young adults have planned.” Yasuko grabs Hiroshi’s arm and starts pulling him away.<br/><br/>“You did amazingly tonight, Asami, I’m proud of you!” Hiroshi calls out as Yasuko drags him towards the parking lot. “Don’t spend your winnings in one place!”</p><p>“Dad, I swear to god!” Asami hollers back, rolling her eyes. She harrumphs quietly, crossing her arms and scowling. “I’m sorry, guys…”<br/><br/>“Hey, it’s no biggie! Though, there was no love for Bolin.” Bolin smacks his chest, hand over his heart. “I felt that a little.”<br/><br/>“I just… I’m embarrassed, really. I thought he’d be… not him, tonight.” Asami sighs. “I’m sorry about him, really.”<br/><br/>“Don’t mention it.” Mako smiles, poking Bolin in the side. “We gotta get going bro, I open tomorrow and you’re closing. Asami, congratulations again and enjoy your day off.”<br/><br/>“Thanks, guys, I will.” Asami waves goodbye as the brothers head out. “Sooo…”<br/><br/>“Uhm, that was—I mean you were awesome out there.” Korra rubs the back of her neck in nervousness. “I mean, I didn’t know what kind of race this was so I totally thought that you won before you even ran your laps, but yeah, that was super cool. And you told me you sucked and you most definitely don’t suck and—”<br/><br/>“Korra, hey.” Asami politely interrupts Korra’s rambling. “It’s really not a big deal.”<br/><br/>“Excuse me, miss.” A voice cuts through the air. “Are you Asami Sato?”<br/><br/>“Uh, yeah?” Asami replies as she stares at a tall man with long hair and a pointed beard. “What’s up?”<br/><br/>“My name is Bumi, I’m the guy who runs this shindig.” He smiles widely, handing Asami a small trophy. “Sorry, it’s not super big and extravagant! I’m still trying to get this whole Time Attack thing off the ground, but I’d love to have a picture of you for our Hall of Fame. There’s only two racers in there so far, but you have one of the best times I’ve ever seen.”<br/><br/>“Oh—uh, yeah. Sure?” Asami awkwardly kicks the ground and Korra’s behind her with wide eyes. “Like now?”<br/><br/>“Sure! I got my camera right here!” Bumi shows his camera and ushers Korra next to Asami. “Come on, we’ll get your girlfriend in the photo too.”“Oh, she’s not my—” Korra starts but is swiftly interrupted. <br/><br/>“Say TIME ATTACK!” Bumi exclaims before Asami and Korra both awkwardly say the phrase and he snaps a photo of them, probably looking uncomfortable as hell. “Awesome! I’ll hang this up! Also, I’d love to extend the offer for you to race here regularly!”<br/><br/>“Oh, uhm, well—I just do this for fun. I’m just a writer.”<br/><br/>“A writer you say?” Bumi rubs his chin. “What about if I extend the offer to write an article on this place!? Help us get off the ground!” <br/><br/>“Yeah, I could probably do that.” Asami nods, wishing that Bumi would just leave so that she could actually spend time talking with Korra. <br/><br/>“Excellent! We’ll be in touch!” Bumi beams and then his eyes go wide, pulling an envelope out of his pocket. “OH! This is for you. It’s your winnings.”<br/><br/>“Thanks, Bumi.” Asami replies and waves as he walks off whistling. She starts chuckling and looks over at Korra. “Man, he is something.”<br/><br/>“So, what was it you said about this not being a big deal?” Korra raises an eyebrow. “You’re in their freaking hall of fame! That’s so cool.” <br/><br/>“Well, you heard him. It’s a new thing. There’s not a lot of people in there.” Asami shrugs. <br/><br/>Korra playfully rolls her eyes. “You’re seriously way too humble. I think that it’s awesome.”<br/><br/>Asami smiles widely and shakes her head. “Fine, I’m being humble. But I still don’t think it’s a big deal.” <br/><br/>“Well, I do!” Korra mirrors Asami’s smile. “So, uh… what now?”<br/><br/></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yeah readers, WHAT NOW?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Hang On To The Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Fluffy things get fluffier.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm going to <b><i>try</i></b> (yes like I said in my other story so the keyword is still try) to update on a weekly basis.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, uh… what now?”<br/><br/>Asami smirks, lifting her eyebrows and glancing upwards. The look was mischievous, but playful. She stares around the track, the giant floodlights glaring brightly against the slick pavement.<br/><br/>“I could ask Bumi if I could take you on the track?” Asami looks back at Korra, nodding over to her car. “I mean, if you wanted to?”<br/><br/>Korra gulps loudly. “Uh… about how fast would we be going?”<br/><br/>“As fast or as slow as you want it to be.” Asami suggests, then realizes how inappropriate that sounded. “Wow, uh… I’m sorry. That sounded—uh <em>sexual</em> and I’m sorry I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”<br/><br/>“No, no worries.” Korra stutters out, rubbing the back of her neck. “That’d be, uhm, cool. But I don’t have like any of your cool racing get up.”<br/><br/>Korra points to Asami’s suit and the helmet that’s still in her hands.<br/><br/>“I’m sure we could ask Bumi if he has extras?” Asami shrugs, looking at what Korra was wearing. The evening was cool, so she had on a long-sleeved shirt and pants. “Can you, uhm, turn around for me real fast?”<br/><br/>“Uh, yeah?”<br/><br/>Korra turns around and Asami sets her helmet on the ground. She walks up behind Korra, hands trembling as they lift towards the collar of her shirt. “I’m, uh, just going to check the tag on your shirt for what it’s made out of.”<br/><br/>“Oh, yeah, cool.” Korra breathes out as she feels Asami’s hand flip the collar of her shirt, her fingers barely brushing against her skin. It causes her to shudder at the touch, but also feel extremely warm. “What exactly are you looking for?”<br/><br/>“100% polyester.” Asami tucks the tag back in Korra’s shirt and pats her on the shoulder. Korra turns back around and sees Asami smiling at her. “It’s hard to ignite since it’s less flammable, so really, we just need to see if Bumi has a helmet and gloves you can wear.”<br/><br/>“Wait, flammable?”<br/><br/>“Well yeah, silly. If, and I mean IF we crash, you’d want to be wearing clothing that won’t catch on fire.”<br/><br/>“If. We. Crash.” Korra’s eyes go wide. “What are the possibilities of that?”<br/><br/>“Well, nothing is ever certain in racing, but I’ve never crashed a car in my life, if that makes you feel better? A race car is about the one thing in my life that I can control with ease.” Asami’s eyes search Korra’s, trying to gauge her reaction. “But we don’t have to do this, if you are uncomfortable.”<br/><br/>“No!” Korra rushes out. “No, I think it’s super cool! I’d love to go for a ride with you. I’ve just—I’ve never gone that fast in a car and I’m nervous.”</p>
<p>“Well, if you’d let me, I’ll try to keep you as safe as possible.”<br/><br/>The smile plastered on Korra’s face at Asami’s words make Asami nearly melt. It’s cute and lopsided, and Asami can feel the heat rising up to her face in a blush. She feels Korra take her hand and give it a squeeze.<br/><br/>“Alright, let’s do this.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Bumi, in fact, had an extra helmet and gloves that fit Korra. Asami had buckled her into the harness that she had installed in place of a regular seatbelt before heading over to the driver’s side and strapping herself in. She glances over at Korra who’s gripping her knees tightly in nervousness. She reaches across the center console and gives Korra’s arm a reassuring squeeze as the engine idles, waiting for take-off.<br/><br/>Korra nods and exhales loudly as she feels the car rumble from Asami revving the engine.<br/><br/>And then, they were off.<br/><br/>Asami had started off relatively slow, just like she would in a preliminary lap, taking the turns softer, and allowing Korra to get used to the way the car moved.<br/><br/>As they make it out of the turns to the straight, Asami yells over the sound of the car. “How was that?”<br/><br/>“Fucking awesome!”<br/><br/>“Well, if you want, I can crank it up!”<br/><br/>It takes Korra mere seconds to ponder on the thought before she answers. “Yeah, let’s do it!”<br/><br/>Asami smiles widely, even though she knows Korra can’t see it through her helmet. She shifts gears and accelerates into the straight, passing the checkered line and continuing down the track. She can hear Korra shout in excitement, a bit of fear, and adrenaline as they come up to the turns.</p>
<p>Asami turns her right foot at an almost 90-degree angle so that her heel was on the gas pedal while her toes were on the brake, a trick she learned when she first started racing. This allowed her to brake, shift, and accelerate with ease and make it through the turns faster, but gracefully.<br/><br/>The thrill of it all was really exhilarating.<br/><br/>As they pass the line again, Asami slows the car down for a cool down lap, and she can hear Korra’s loud breathing.<br/><br/>“You good!?”<br/><br/>“Hell yeah, I’m good!”<br/><br/>The car rolls to a stop and Asami throws the e-brake on, getting out of the car. She helps Korra get out and they both simultaneously pull their helmets off.<br/><br/>“Holy shit, that was awesome!” Korra raves, trying to catch her breath from all the adrenaline rushing through her body. “Like seriously awesome!”<br/><br/>Asami blushes and ducks her head. “I’m glad you liked it. It can be a bit much the first time around.”<br/><br/>“I’ve never felt like so… energized. Like it feels like euphoria is running through my veins. It’s hard to describe, but it feels… almost as if I’m weightless. Does any of this make sense?” Korra gives her a quizzical look.<br/><br/>“No, that perfectly describes it. That’s how I felt the first time.” Asami chuckles, her stomach grumbling at the same time. She had totally forgotten to eat before she came because of the nerves, but now her body was telling her that wasn’t the best idea. “Hey, uh, I’m pretty hungry. Do you maybe want to go grab something to eat?”<br/><br/>“Actually, I would love that.” Korra flashes a wide smile. “I know this cool place in Olde Town RC that usually has a bunch of food trucks we could go to?”<br/><br/>“That sounds wonderful.”</p>
<hr/>
<p>Asami got a mozzarella cheese corn dog (Korean Street Dog) because <em>of course</em> she did. She’s a wiener connoisseur, remember? Korra had settled for potato cheese pancakes, another Korean delicacy, and the two happily ate as they walked along the sidewalks of Olde Town. There were Edison-styled lights strung up between lampposts, giving their walk an almost atmospheric feel as they made light conversation.<br/><br/>Asami remembers that she had never felt more comfortable in a social situation than she did right at this very moment with Korra. Something about her just made Asami feel warm and light, a feeling she was sure wouldn’t go away for a while.<br/><br/>After discarding their trash, they continued to walk down the sidewalk, hands brushing against each other as they steal glances from time to time. Asami, finally feeling bold, grabs a hold of Korra’s hand and gauges her reaction. Her hands are rough, yet surprisingly soft, and Asami can feel her tense, then relax into the touch as their fingers entwine. They share a comfortable silence, as they continue walking back towards where Asami had parked near a loud, music filled bar.<br/><br/>“Do you want to grab a drink?” Asami nods her head towards the bar, knowing that maybe a little liquid courage would be needed to stop the intense butterflies fluttering around her stomach.<br/><br/>Korra smiles widely, and Asami swears her heart bursts right then and there. <em>That freaking cute, crooked, bright smile</em>. “Yeah, I’d like that.”<br/><br/>They make their way into the bar, practically yelling their drink orders over the loud music. The bartender shouts a total and they both look at each other before trying to simultaneously pull the money out first.<br/><br/>“You got dinner!” Asami yelled over the music at Korra. “And you got the drinks at the café the other day, I got this.”<br/><br/>She can see the struggle in Korra’s face before she finally gives in and lets Asami pay. She could definitely tell that Korra was the chivalrous type, but she knew that would be a conversation they would <em>have</em> to have. Asami didn’t always like being doted on, in fact, it reminded her a lot of her father flashing his money around. She obviously knew Korra wasn’t like that, and was just genuinely a nice person, but still. She liked Korra and if they were going to continue dating (she thinks they are, at least?) then some basic ground rules would need to be set.<br/><br/>Their drinks are handed to them and they look around the ‘not as crowded as they thought’ bar and find a table to sit at. The music was really the loudest thing in there, sans a few frat boys yelling at each other from time to time.<br/><br/>“What’d you get!?” Korra calls out, taking a sip of her drink.<br/><br/>“It’s called Rented World, it’s a session IPA!” Asami exclaims. “You should try it!”<br/><br/>Korra nods as Asami pushes her beer across the table and takes a sip, her face unreadable as she tastes the liquid. “Damn, that’s good. I didn’t peg you for the craft beer type!”<br/><br/>“Yeah, I’m not really a heavy drinker, so I stick to beer and wine.”<br/><br/>“What!?” The music was louder by this point, if it even could get louder, and Asami chuckles. She pulls out her phone and opens a note, using her finger to write out a message on the screen.<br/><br/>She slides it across the table to Korra.</p>
<p><em>I’m not a big drinker.<br/><br/></em>She watches as Korra also starts swiping her finger across the screen before the phone is in front of her.<br/><br/><strong><em>Same. Do you want to try this?</em></strong><br/><br/>Asami looks up from the phone, and Korra’s pointing at her drink. It looked like a stout or a porter, given the dark, robust color. Asami nods and grabs the glass. She can taste notes of vanilla, cedar, and spices with a beautiful finish of chocolate and malt. She knew exactly what Korra had gotten.<br/><br/><em>Graham Cracker Porter?</em></p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Damn, how’d you know?</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>
  <em>It’s one of my favorites.<br/><br/><strong>I’ll keep that in mind.</strong></em>
</p>
<p>Asami looks across the table to see that Korra was already almost done with her beer, and she was lucky that she was herself because the extremely thunderous noises of the bar were getting to her head.</p>
<p>
  <em>Wanna get out of here?</em>
</p>
<p>
  <strong> <em>Yes, please</em> </strong>
</p>
<p>They down the rest of their beers and place them on the bar for the bartender before heading back out onto the sidewalk.<br/><br/>“I could barely hear myself think in that place.” Korra laughs as she shakes her head. “My ears are ringing.”<br/><br/>“I agree.” Asami rubs the back of her neck, the butterflies once again taking over with their fluttering about. “So uh…”<br/><br/>“I like you.” Korra blurts out before immediately shutting her mouth and opening her eyes wide. “I… uh.”<br/><br/>“I like you, too.” Asami smiles widely, a blush creeping up on her cheeks. “A lot, actually.”<br/><br/>“Yeah, me too.” Korra breathes out, her eyes seemingly searching Asami’s. They’re about 6 inches apart and Asami swears she can feel the warmth of Korra’s breath. “I… Uhm…”<br/><br/>“Mhmm?” Asami gulps loudly when she feels Korra’s hand grab hers. “What’s on your mind?”<br/><br/>“Uh, something. But I’m not sure if it’s the same thing on your mind.”<br/><br/>“I have a feeling it might be.” Asami says just above a whisper.<br/><br/>“I just… don’t want it not to be and make a fool of myself.”<br/><br/>“I doubt that you would.”<br/><br/>“Uh-huh.” Korra nods, “But like what if we’re not thinking of the same thing and then….”<br/><br/>“I’m almost 100% certain we have the same thing on our mind right now.”<br/><br/>Korra looks down at the ground then back up. Asami can feel the damp sweat on both of their palms as Korra takes a deep breath in.<br/><br/>“Oh, fuck it.” Korra rushes out, lifting her other hand to Asami’s cheek and pulling her into a searing kiss.</p>
<p>Asami can feel her stomach doing flips, her chest warm from happiness, and somehow, she swears she feels her feet lift off the ground. Or maybe that was really happening as Korra had eventually snaked both of her arms around Asami’s waist and barely, just barely, picked her up as they kissed.</p>
<p>Once her feet were back on the ground and they both pull away breathless, Asami takes a step back to gather her thoughts.<br/><br/>“I’m, uh, sorry.” Korra replies sheepishly, nervously rubbing the back of her neck.<br/><br/>“Korra, please don’t apologize.” Asami says between breaths she’s trying to take to regain her composure. “That’s uh… what was on my mind. See? I told you.”<br/><br/>“I guess you did.” Korra beams before looking down at her watch. “It’s pretty late.”<br/><br/>“I guess I should drive you back to the track then, so you can get your car.” Asami replies almost sadly. She definitely didn’t want her time with Korra to come to an end, especially not after <em>that </em>kiss.<br/><br/>“No need.” Korra shakes her head, pulling her phone out. “I actually had to grab an Uber there. My car kind of… shit out on me as I was trying to leave to see you race. I was just going to get another one home.”<br/><br/>“Shit out on you, how? Like did it blow a gasket? Transmission failure? Did a belt snap?”<br/><br/>“I don’t know? I guess it started, got out of the driveway, and then died.”<br/><br/>“Oh, that’s just your alternator!” Asami exclaims excitedly. If there was one thing she knew she was good at, it was cars.<br/><br/>“My what now?”<br/><br/>“It’s what keeps electrical power to your car. It works with the battery to keep an alternating current flowing to your vehicle. If it’s bad, then it won’t do its job and the battery won’t stay recharged. It’s a pretty easy fix, I could honestly probably do it for you if you wanted.” Asami explains. “That’s why you car can start, but it dies as soon as the battery is no longer being recharged to power the engine.”<br/><br/>“I have no idea about any of what you just said, but yeah, I’d love for you to take a look at it.”<br/><br/>“I can do it, tomorrow, if you’re not busy?” Asami asks.<br/><br/>“No, not busy at all. I’m off tomorrow.”  Korra shakes her head. “I can definitely send you my address and buy the parts, you just got to give me a list.”<br/><br/>“Why don’t I just take you home?” Asami questions. “Not like that, I mean, since you don’t have your car and it’s pointless to pay for an Uber when I have a functional car.”<br/><br/>“Oh, uh, yeah. I’d appreciate that.”<br/><br/>“Alright,” Asami smiles. “Well, let’s get going.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Rented World is a session IPA from Ratio Beerworks in Denver, CO<br/>Graham Cracker Porter is from Denver Brewing CO in... you guessed it, Denver, CO.</p>
<p>Also, I realize how much of my own relationship with my partner is reflecting into this story. The first kiss we shared definitely went down like that, and I am always one to be helpful with car stuff. I don't race though, and I'm more like Korra than I am Asami, but ya know, who cares? </p>
<p>:D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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